The phenomenal Jatukham Rammathep amulet has not only brought quick riches to its creators and retailers, but has also been a windfall for its sculptors.

Aey, 32, was a lecturer in sculpture at Nakhon Si Thammarat College of Fine Arts for almost 10 years before good fortune smiled on him and he was hired to design a version of the Jatukham amulet models and statues earlier this year.

"I have been in Nakhon Si Thammarat since 1998. My permanent job here is teaching the art of sculpture at the college for a salary of about Bt12,000 per month," he said.

This month he also picked up almost Bt50,000 extra from designing the talk-of-the-town Jatukham models and statues.

The Jatukham fever in Nakhon Si Thammarat has also created jobs and wealth, not only for him but also those with visual-art skills in his college and in other colleges such as the Nakhon Si Thammarat Arts and Crafts College.

"The demand for the amulets has surpassed even that for mobile phones in these provinces. From my house I can see the vehicles advertising the Jatukham models passing every day," he said.

The first Jatukham model was created in Nakhon Si Thammarat in 1987 by the committee of the City Pillar Shrine of Nakhon Si Thammarat to raise funds to build a city pillar in the town. The Jatukham Rammathep became the most sought-after object in Nakhon Si Thammarat just a decade ago, before the obsession gripped the whole country a few years back.

The price of the original Jatukham models created 20 years ago was only between Bt39 and Bt59 each but they can now fetch from Bt50,000 to Bt1 million.

One Jatukham expert, Anan Sae Tan, said frenzied marketing and the use of the media have contributed a great deal to the booming Jatukham Rammathep trade.

Anan, 46, was appointed by the committee of the City Pillar Shrine of Nakhon Si Thammarat to jointly create the first Jatukham amulet model in 1987.

"The Jatukham was unlikely to gain fast popularity without the marketing campaign. The hot sales of the first models created in Nakhon Si Thammarat inspired investors and other temples to follow suit and create different Jatukham models," he added.

There are now over 100 varieties of Jatukham.

He said that the booming trade is due to people's dire need for something to hold on to in these gloomy economic and political times.

The key to the success of the Jatukham is its appealing design, he added.

"Its design also tended towards the look of jewellery and an object of fashion," he said.

Organisations that create a Jatukham must have a clear objective when doing so in order to ensure its success. One often-cited objective is that the Jatukham be created for social charity or fund-raising.

The other success factor is heavy spending on marketing by Jatukham creators. The total cost of creating one Jatukham line ranges from around Bt100,000 to over Bt10 million, of which most is spent on marketing activities. All kinds of media, from newspapers to television, are used to promote the amulets.

According to Kasikorn Research Centre, the cash flow in the trade of Buddhist amulets and related activities is expected to reach Bt22 billion this year, and the Jatukham is a major contributor to the growth. The popularity of the Jatukham also helps stimulate the growth of many related businesses, such as stainless amulet frames and amulet magazines.

Malee Boonsiripunth, dean of the faculty of journalism and mass communication at Thammasat University, said the Jatukham phenomenon reflected Thai culture and people's belief in the supernatural.

"This is a demonstration of the media's power and its influence in setting a strong agenda for the public. The media over the past months has frequently reported on 'miracles' that these talismans have brought to the owner. This has stirred the public appetite for them," she said.

Malee said the popularity of Jatukham, encouraged by individual producers and distributors, had reinforced interest and the public demand for them, which has led to a huge increase in their prices. Jatukham has become a fashion item demanded by almost everybody.

 "The media themselves need to be more concerned about screening the information and presenting it in a more rational way to avoid encouraging superstition," said Malee.

Sorn Chongsricharn, chief executive of advertising agency Y&R, said Jatukham was a good new brand. It has been supported by various marketing strategies and the use of various media channels to make the brand successful and enduring.

"Jatukham has latched on to a good product, that is sacredness. The product has been facilitated with a good marketing mix, with affordable prices and a good distribution network, various types of promotion and clever communications," said Sorn.

He said those who openly flaunt the Jatukham have also played a significant part in building the brand, given that many opinion leaders in society wear and help promote Jatukham amulets.

"What is happening in society is a frenzy. Many communications tools, such as advertising,   public relations activities and even customer-relationship-management strategies, have been used by the Jatukham creators and distributors to further spread the frenzy," said Sorn.

"A good product cannot be successful by itself - it always requires good marketing support and brand building," he added.

So will the Jatukham obsession fade soon?

Sorn said virtually every product has a life cycle but the Jatukham brand could last forever.

"From my point of view, the story of Jatukham will not fade away, as anything related to the faith and superstition of people will stay forever. These things will never disappear from this world," he said.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation